Diet has been implicated in the etiology of several chronic diseases including cancer, coronary heart disease and obesity. Systematic study of the relationship between diet and disease has been limited by the availability and accessibility of data bases containing adequate information on dietary constituents. The objective of this project is to develop a dietary technical assessment system which will provide easily operated microcomputer-based food component and dietary consumption analysis capabilities. This system aims to maximize the use of already existing data bases on nutrients, chemical contaminants, commercial products, food additives and food consumption information. This information will be compiled into one system which will permit integration of the information, comparison and analysis of the data, and easily accessible for future survey and research design. The design of the analysis system will strive for a high quality, easily operable information retrieval and data analysis program package which has potential for wide application by health professionals research scientists, corporate officers and regulators for use in research, dietary planning, commercial product development and government regulatory processes.